Proposition 28 was overwhelmingly passed into law by California voters in November of 2022. The resulting legislation is now called the Arts and Music in Schools: Funding Guarantee and Accountability Act.
Each year, DSUSD will receive funding dedicated to the expansion of arts and music programs throughout the district.
Funding is tied to site enrollment, and a majority of the funding must be dedicated toward instructional salaries for NEW programs and opportunities in the arts that did not exist prior to the 2022 - 2023 school year.
Unspent funding carries over for up to two additional years past the date on which it was issued.
*Newly launched program since 2023
*Newly launched program since 2023
*Newly launched program since 2023
Paraeducator - Technical Theater at Shadow Hills High
Paraeducator - Visual Art at La Quinta High
Hourly walk-on support/coaching: music, color guard, etc.
Funding for classroom materials, repairs, and supplies
Professional Learning opportunities for teachers and staff
Full-Time Project Facilitator dedicated to VAPA support, Grades TK - 12
CA Education Code §51210: The adopted course of study for grades 1 to 6, inclusive, shall include instruction, beginning in grade 1 and continuing through grade 6: (5) Visual and performing arts, including instruction in the subjects of dance, music, theatre, and visual arts, aimed at the development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression.
Last year, only 6,884 (62%) students enrolled in grades TK - 12 had access to VAPA programs (12 out of 19 school sites)
This year, all students across all 19 elementary sites have access to VAPA instruction! (11,020 students)
Last year, some sites had only one program (music only or art only), and now have both
Thanks to AMS, in 2024 - 2025, 47.2% of our students in grades TK-5 have access to BOTH Visual and Performing Arts which is up from 15.8% of our students with access to BOTH Visual and Performing Arts in the previous school year (2023 - 2024)
(ABOVE)
Students in grades TK - 5 with access to VAPA, 2023 - 2024 vs. 2024 - 2025
(LEFT)
2024 - 2025 school year, Percentage of students grades TK-12 with access to VAPA Programs
CA Education Code §51220: The adopted course of study for grades 7 to 12, inclusive, shall offer courses in the following areas of study: (g) Visual and performing arts, including dance, music, theater, and visual arts, with emphasis upon the development of aesthetic appreciation and the skills of creative expression.
All Students in grades 6 - 12 have access to instruction in visual and performing arts
In 2023 - 2024, DSUSD registered 9,751 enrollments in VAPA Courses* (68% of all students enrolled in grades 6 - 12)
In this academic year (2024 - 2025), 10,058 students across DSUSD were enrolled in VAPA courses* (69.8% of all students enrolled in grades 6 - 12)
In 2024 - 2025, DSUSD saw an increase of 307 VAPA enrollments* (1.8% increase)
*Enrollment figures do not account for students with duplicate enrollments across two or more VAPA courses.